


Girl Meets Cordially Invited

by Monica_Rambeau



Series: Rilaya-verse [20]
Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: Children, Established Relationship, F/F, F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff, Future Fic, I guess it's a theme in my work?, Rilaya, also everyone cries all the time, gmw, super fluffy, sure let's go with that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-27
Updated: 2017-04-27
Packaged: 2018-10-24 19:02:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10747878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Monica_Rambeau/pseuds/Monica_Rambeau
Summary: Wren Topanga Matthews-Hunter is getting married!... if her mothers don't drive her insane first.(or: Rilaya in the future! Family fluff! Family drama! Zay is there, too!)





	Girl Meets Cordially Invited

**Author's Note:**

> NO IDEA where this came from, but hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Also, this takes place in the same timeline as my previous stuff (Girl Meets Between The Lines, Privilege, History and "It"). Rilaya got together in the finale, happy times ensued. GO!

_60 seconds before the wedding:_

The three of them waited at the top on the hill, safely hidden behind a row of trees leading to the main building. Wren stayed just out of sight as the last of the bridal party made their way down the aisle, an acoustic guitar playing them gently to their destination at the edge of a lake. 

A tall brunette walked up to her side, squeezing her hand comfortingly.

"Are you nervous?" Riley asked.

"Nope," Wren answered.

A shorter blonde made her way to Wren's other side, taking her hand. 

"Liar," Maya whispered.

"Yup."

Riley put her hands on Wren's exposed shoulders, leaning in with a sweet smile.

"Aw, little plum. There's nothing to be nervous about!"

"But Mom, you're about to give me away..." Wren turned, eyes wide with embellished horror, "... to a BOY!"

Maya shrugged and nudged her with an elbow.

"Hey, it's not too late! We hop in the car right now, I'll find you a nice gal upstate by dinnertime."

Her two favorite girls shot her identical looks, balanced neatly between a bemused smirk and an adoring smile.

"Eh," Wren shrugged, acting aloof, "I already bought the dress."

"Yeah," Maya smiled back, nodding, "might as well stick it out."

The consistent strumming in the background suddenly stopped, giving way to a slow, lyrical tune. 

"That's your cue," Riley managed, tears in her eyes.

Wren took a steadying breath as her mothers took her arms.

"Ready?" Riley whispered.

Wren looked at the women next to her.

"You guys with me?"

Maya gave her daughter's arm a squeeze as they began to walk.

"All the way, kiddo."

 

\--------

 

_23 years before the wedding:_

Maya walked through the door to Topanga's bakery with her hands in front of her, rubbing nervously. The morning rush had just died down and she knew this would be a good time to talk.

"Maya!" Topanga called to her from behind the counter, rushing up to give her a hug. Maya gladly returned it.

"Hey, Mrs. Matthews."

Topanga released Maya and gave her a playful slap on the shoulder.

"Maya, you've basically lived in my house since you were five, you're married to my daughter... any chance you'll ever call me by my first name?"

Maya feigned confusion.

"Wait, your first name isn't 'Mrs?'" She brought her arms up in defense as her mother-in-law began whipping her with a dish towel. 

As their laughter slowed, Topanga noticed Maya's nervous posture.

"Is there something you want to talk about, sweetie?"

Maya nodded, and the two sat down on the small sofa.

"Ok," Maya began, "first I need you to promise not to get excited."

Topanga gave an easy shrug. "I promise."

At this, Maya relaxed a little.

"Well... Riley wants to have a baby--"

Maya was cut off by a high pitched shriek, stifled instantly by Topanga's hand over her own mouth. Her eyes were wide, barely containing her enthusiasm.

"BOY, is Riley your kid." Maya sighed, shaking her head.

Topanga calmed herself. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. So, Riley's thinking about a family?"

"Ugh, like you wouldn't believe."

"Baby fever?"

"More like the baby plague, but basically, yeah."

"And, how do you feel about it?"

Maya looked down at her hands.

"I mean, it's not like I don't WANT to have a kid with Riley..."

"Uh huh..."

"But... well..."

Topanga leaned forward, prompting her to finish the thought.

Maya sighed.

"Can I be a good mom?"

Topanga smiled an empathetic smile.

"Maya..."

"Mrs. Matthews, my parents weren't exactly ideal. It's not like I had a strong template to work from."

Topanga shook her head.

"Maya, your mother is wonderful!"

"Yeah, she is... now. There was a long stretch, though, where she... wasn't."

Topanga looked like she was trying to come up with an argument, but her face fell into sympathy and silence. 

"I know what it's like to grow up with a mom who's not... well, who's NOT. What if... that's me?"

"You are not your parents."

"Riley is! She's so much like you two! She'll be an amazing parent, but me...?"

She shook her head, trying to push the tears from her eyes.

"How do I know if I'll be good enough?"

They sat there for a long moment as Topanga looked at the woman in front of her. She smiled, finally.

"Ok, Maya. You want my advice? I can only give you my own perspective as a mother, and as a mother..."

She reached out to hold the hand of her daughter-in-law.

"... I can say that YOU, Maya Matthews-Hunter, make me a happier mother than I could have ever imagined."

Maya looked up, shocked and confused.

"I've watched you love my daughter every day you've been in her life, and sweetie, I've never seen someone with so much love to give. It amazes me every day and, as a mother, there's nothing more I could wish for my daughter than you."

The blonde was crying openly now, a huge and grateful smile on her face.

"You're worried about having enough love for a child? Maya, that's like worrying the ocean will run out of water."

She moved closer, taking Maya's hands in hers, even as her own voice began to crack.

"You and Riley are going to be wonderful parents... and I can't wait to see it!"

They moved into a loving silence, each sniffing and crying, until Maya composed herself enough to speak.

"Thanks, Mom."

Topanga gasped a little before breaking out into full-on tears, grabbing her daughter and hugging her as tightly as she could. Behind her head, Maya smiled, thinking about how lucky she felt at that moment, and the kind of mother she hoped to be.

 

\------

 

_12 months before the wedding:_

"Ok," Wren began, "first I need you to promise not to get excited."

She was pacing in front of the couch, talking to the air in front of her and gesturing with every word. Riley recognized the behavior as classic Maya, but the nervous looks at them every few steps were definitely all her. She leaned forward, eyes wide at her daughter.

"I PROMISE NOT TO--" Maya laid a gentle hand on her knee, stopping Riley mid-scream. She cleared her throat. "-- get excited, sweetie." 

Wren glanced at her other mother, who rolled her eyes lovingly and nodded for her to continue.

"Ok... ok, so..." She stopped walking, standing directly in front of her parents.

"I'm gonna ask Archie to marry me!"

Maya's mouth dropped open, while next to her Riley began vibrating like an active volcano. Her eyes were as big as dinner plates and her mouth was closed so tightly her lips were turning blue.

"Wow! Kiddo, wow!" Maya said, standing up to meet her expectant daughter's face. She grabbed her hands, oblivious to her wife's increasing shaking. "Are you... I mean, are you sure?"

Wren smiled a lovesick smile.

"Ma, I've never been more sure of anything. Also, Mom's gonna have a stroke if you don't..."

Maya turned, seeing Riley turning blue and bouncing violently.

"Oh, sorry, honey! Let it out!"

All four of Riley's limbs burst out.

"LOOOOOOOOVE IT!!!!" She screamed, nearly shattering their glassware and eliciting loving laughter from her family.

"Well, that's ONE parent's blessing..." Wren smirked, nudging Maya.

"Sweetie... I dunno. I mean, you know I love Archie, he's practically our kid too! It's just..." She turned her hands over. "... you're so young!"

Wren rolled her eyes, a move Maya hated being on the receiving end of.

"Come on, Ma, it's not like we're starting from square one. We've been best friends our whole lives, we've been together since we were 15..."

"Whoof, yeah Peaches..." Riley teased, "What kind of marriage starts out like that?"

Maya turned to glare at her wife.

"Smartass."

Riley winked.

"We'll wait until after we graduate. I won't start teaching until the fall. We can plan it for next summer!"

Maya closed her eyes, shaking her head.

"Wren, I just think you should..."

"Before you say anything else..." The young woman pulled a black ring box from her pocket. "There's one more thing."

Riley rose to stand behind her wife as they both looked at the box, mesmerized. Their hearts leapt into their throats when she opened it.

"I want to use these."

Riley was already crying. Maya reached out slowly, mouth open and eyes moist.

"The friendship rings?" she said, quietly.

When Maya proposed, it was with a diamond ring, per Riley's request (one you could see from space, specifically), but their bands had been a surprise. Riley had perfect replicas of their friendship rings made in gold, and they both wore them every moment of every day. The originals had always been somewhere safe, tucked away, lost to legend.

"Well..." Wren was trying not to cry and failing. "It just... feels right, y'know? They were the start of the best marriage I can imagine, so..." 

Maya flew forward, grabbing her daughter and wife in a hug. The sweet contact was all they needed to devolve into a weepy mess.

"Is it ok?" Wren finally asked, knowing the answer.

Maya looked at her beautiful wife, overwhelmed with joy, then back to her daughter.

"It's perfect." She touched her cheek. "Now go get 'im."

 

\-----

 

_22 years before the wedding:_

"She's amazing."

The words drifted out of Maya's mouth, barely pushed by a woman completely drained of energy, yet full of love. In her arms slept a swaddled baby, and to her left sat a beautiful wife.

"YOU were amazing," Riley said softly.

Maya stuck her tongue out to express her exhaustion, then turned to Riley.

"I couldn't have done it without you, honey."

Riley's tired smile stretched across her face.

"Then we're ALL amazing! Go us!"

Maya chuckled, careful not to disturb her precious cargo. Riley swooned over her.

“Oh, she’s so sweet! Like a little plum.” She gasped, stepping back. “Peaches and plum! I love it!”

Maya shot her a look. “That’s not gonna stick.”

“Oh, it’s sticking, baby!

They laughed together before settling back into admiring their sleeping daughter.

“So, are we ready to bring in the troops?” Riley asked. “There’s a small army waiting outside.”

“No way!” Maya whisper-yelled, “We can’t introduce her to everybody until she has a name.”

“Well, we better decide quick. I think our moms are gonna break down the door.”

Maya stared at the baby in her arms, trying desperately to think of a name.

“Ugh! Nothing feels right! How did we put this off until now?”

“Have you  _met_  us?”

Maya sighed, cuddling the baby closer. Riley leaned forward, gazing into the newborn’s face. Her smile was soft and serene.

“Wren,” she said, after a moment.

Maya furrowed her brow, then looked down at the bundle in her arms. An instant later her face lit up.

“Oh my god! Riley, that’s it! That’s her name! How did you do that?”

Riley shrugged. “She told me. I just had to listen the right way.”

Maya melted, staring into her wife’s eyes.

“You’re gonna be a great mom, Riles.”

Riley leaned in to kiss her wife.

“We’re both going to be wonderful parents, Peaches.”

Unbidden, Maya’s mind was whipped back almost a year, to a conversation in a small Greenwich bakery. She smiled again at the memory.

“I have an idea for the middle name.”

“Hmm, do you think she needs one? She’s already gonna have a hyphenated last name…”

Maya looked down at Wren, full of gratitude for this amazing moment.

“I was thinking… how about ‘Topanga?’”

Shock covered Riley’s face as she looked back and forth between her wife and her daughter. She smiled, her eyes still wide and disbelieving.

“Really?” she asked, her voice soft with emotion.

“It just,” Maya said, “feels right, y’know?”

Riley kissed her wife again.

“How do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Make me love you more every day?”

The women nuzzled together, both kissing their daughter.

“We have a family, Riles,” Maya whispered.

“And it’s perfect, Peaches.”

 

\-----

 

_6 months before the wedding:_

“Alright, you’re just doing this to piss me off.”

Wren and Riley sat at the dining room table, bridal magazines spread out over the entire surface. In front of Riley was a huge purple binder with color-coded tabs. They were both grinning at Maya.

“Well, not JUST to piss you off…” Wren smirked. “It’s just a fringe benefit.”

Maya’s lip curled up.

“Wren wants a more traditional wedding, Maya, and whatever the bride wants, she gets.” Riley grinned wider. “AND she’s letting us help! SO MANY FLOWERS!”

Wren turned to her, matching her mother’s enthusiasm. “Oh my god, SO many flowers!” They giggled together.

“And SO much going into debt!” Maya did not.

“Peaches, the bride’s parents always pay for the wedding…”

“No, the bride’s FATHER is supposed to pay, and since Wren doesn’t have one, sounds like the courthouse on a Tuesday is our only option.”

“Ma, you know Archie’s parents offered to cover it—“

“Uck!” Maya practically spat. “And that’s another thing! Do you realize that this wedding is going to turn you into a…”

The doorbell interrupted Maya’s tirade. Riley gasped.

“Get the door, little plum! It’s probably your future in-laws!”

Wren smiled wide, popping up and jogging past Maya, planting a kiss on her cheek.

“Cheer up, Ma! I thought you’d be glad to be combining families.”

She ran up to the door with Maya and Riley behind her.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love them,” Maya said as Wren opened the door, “but that doesn’t mean I want my daughter becoming a—“

“LADIES!!” Farkle raised his hands as he entered, a smiling Smackle by his side.

“Minkus!” Maya growled.

“Technically, it’s Smackle-Minkus, Maya,” Isadora corrected.

“Uncle Farkle!” Wren hugged him, moving on to his wife. “Hi, Aunt Izzy!”

“Good afternoon, Wren. You’re looking acceptably fertile today,” Smackle offered, poking at Wren’s hips.

“Mom! Please don’t poke my fiancé like a breeding cow!”

Riley saw Wren practically lift off when she heard his voice, ducking around his parents to embrace Archie. There was no height difference, so their hug turned into a kiss almost immediately.

“Hey, c’mon! No sucking face in my foyer!”

Archie turned to Maya, pushing up his glasses, a little embarrassed. Wren glared playfully at her as Farkle hugged Riley.

“Ha! I always knew that your genetic structure would have to find the Minkus bloodline irresistible! I was just off by a generation.”

Maya grabbed him by the collar.

“And unless you wanna  _see_  that bloodline right now, you’ll shut up!” She said before pulling him in for a tight hug.

They moved into the dining room, snacking and drinking while pouring over wedding plans. They laughed and joked with the easy love of two families finishing a long journey to becoming one. 

Another knock at the door brought Lucas to the event, touting a surprise for Wren. When he moved to reveal his daughter Chloe, fresh from the airport, the girls screamed and hugged immediately.

“Oh my god, I missed you! How’s freshman year?”

“Actual torture. Please tell me college gets easier by senior year.”

“It gets easier.”

“Are you lying?”

“Absolutely.”

The Friars joined the group, adding to the planning but quickly devolving into long reminiscences and stories from the old days. By the time they were telling the Texas story for the third time, Wren and Chloe slipped away to talk.

“Hey, so remember that sleepover in high school?”

“Wren, you’re going to have to be more specific.”

“Well, this was the one where we talked about what we’d do when one of us got married…”

Chloe’s eyes opened wide in sincere joy.

“Really? You still want me to…?”

“Hey, who else is gonna stand up there with me?”

Over her shoulder, Archie waved to them for help, trapped in the circle of parents.

“Besides him.”

Chloe let the tears fall, hugging Wren close.

“Oh, 'pangers! I’d be honored!”

“You’re not gonna call me that in your speech, are you?”

“Every sentence!”

And on the evening went. Zay burst in an hour later, horrified that they’d started without him and condemning all of their ideas as trite garbage. The planning started all over again, leading into a late Chinese food dinner around the dining room table. As they cracked their fortune cookies open, Zay stood and called for attention.

“Since I’m probably not gonna get a speech at the actual wedding (not offended, just one of your oldest friends, it’s fine), I wanted to say a few words now. Wren, Archie…” The two smiled at each other, linking hands on the table. “We’ve all gotten to watch you grow up into amazing people, guided by four of the best parents in the world. We are all so happy that you came together, and anyone can see that the love between you two is so special.” 

Zay smiled as he looked around. Not a dry eye in the house. He raised his cup.

“To Wren and Archie, and their new life together!”

The table erupted in applause, everyone cheering for the couple… except for Maya. Riley saw that her tears were not the same joyful breed flowing freely around her. She stood up suddenly, running from the table. Wren looked to her mom for answers, receiving a comforting smile and a reassuring nod as she rose to follow.

She found her wife sitting on the steps to their second floor, picking violently at her nails and aggressively fighting back her tears. She only looked up when she noticed that Riley had extended her hand to her.

“Bay window,” she said with a concerned smile. “Bay window right now.”

 

\-----

 

_7 years before the wedding:_

"Jesus, it was only two hours!" 

Wren stood defiantly across from a fuming Maya, arms crossed and eyes wide with anger.

"Yeah, TWO HOURS where we didn't know if our 15 year old daughter was still alive!"

"Ma, come on! I'm sorry I didn't check in, but you knew I was safe! I was at Sophie's, her parents were there!"

"In the CITY! You were taking the train home by yourself! Are you dense enough to think that that's not dangerous?"

Riley, standing to the side, opened her mouth to join in but was quickly overpowered.

"No, MOTHER, I'm not dense and I wasn't alone! Archie was with me!"

Maya laughed.

"Oh, THAT'S better! Your big burly protector!"

"Maya!" Riley finally managed before Wren burst back in.

"Don't talk about him like that! He's my best friend!"

"Well, a best friend would have helped you to make a better decision tonight! Your curfew is 10pm, young lady!"

Wren rolled her eyes. "... ridiculous..." she mumbled.

"WHAT was that?"

"I SAID that it's RIDICULOUS! I'm the only one of my friends with a curfew that early! I mean, I'm practically an adult!"

Riley barely stifled the laugh that tried to escape.

Maya was less amused.

"Oh... well, _madam_ , let's see how adult you feel when you're GROUNDED!"

Wren gaped back, looking to her other mother but finding no support.

"For how long?" She demanded.

"As long as I say! Now get your butt upstairs! I don't want to see your face until tomorrow!"

Wren, angry tears welling, stormed off and stomped up the stairs to her room.

"And if that boy comes through you window I'm throwing him back out of it!" Maya yelled after her.

Arms crossed, nostrils flaring, Maya turned to see her wife sitting on the couch, staring at her softly.

"What?"

Riley shook her head. "I didn't say anything."

"Yeah, I noticed! Thanks for backing me up, there!"

Riley's calm demeanor didn't waver.

"You don't think maybe you were a LITTLE hard on her?"

Maya flailed her arms, exasperated.

"Riley, she was--!"

"Two hours late, I know, and I'm not saying we let her off the hook, but this is the first time she's ever done something like this."

"It only takes ONE time, one stupid decision--!"

"Peaches..." Riley rose, laying a calming hand on her wife's shoulder. "She's not you."

Maya stared at her, hurt at first before quickly acquiescing to the truth of what she said. The real source of her anger, her fear.

"No, she's not." Maya spoke firmly, putting her hand over her wife's. "She doesn't have a Riley Matthews to keep her from going too far."

Riley smiled, and suddenly everything was better. Maya marveled at how she could still do that to her.

"Yes, she does. She's got both of us." She hugged Maya. "And she has great friends, just like we did. Just like we do."

The blonde's resolve faded, leaning into her safe place. She kissed Riley on the head, eliciting a giggle that sent tingles through her chest.  

She looked straight up.

"You know he's up there, right?"

Riley pulled back to look her in the eyes.

"Would anything have kept you out if it were me?"

Maya kissed her lips.

"Not a damn thing."

Upstairs, Wren sat on her bed, crying the frustrated cry of adolescence, when there came a tap on her window. She scooted over and opened it, revealing the tousled brown hair and spectacled face of her best friend.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, sniffling.

"I, uh, I heard some... loud discussions happening over here, and..." He entered through the window as gracefully as he spoke. She smiled at his earnest, awkward compassion. It was one of her favorite things about him.

"My Ma. She just... god, she drives me so crazy!" She relaxed her clenched teeth. "You get in trouble?"

"Oh, yeah," Archie answered, nodding with wide eyes. "Not as much yelling, but my dad threatened to ground me on the International Space Station. And with him, that's not an idle threat." 

She laughed, looking down to hide a blush. She looked back up, concerned.

"But... you came over here? Won't that just make them madder?"

He shrugged, tilting his head and looking anywhere but at her.

"Well, yeah, but..." He relaxed, finally, meeting her eyes. "I mean, I had to make sure you were ok."

She smiled with arched eyebrows, every ounce of frustration melting away as she reached out and hugged him. The embrace felt warm and safe, and the feelings that had been brewing in her over the last year roared to the surface.

She hugged him tighter. He returned the gesture, pulling them closer and making her heart pulse with a confusing urgency. She needed to give a voice to these feelings, even if only internally. She had to give them words.

 _I love you_ , she thought, as loud as she could.

"Wh-what did you say?"

So loud, apparently, that the words escaped out of her mouth.

"I, uh..." Wren mumbled as they separated, staring at each other. She slipped on the trusty swagger inherited from her Ma. "I mean, like, 'I love you, broseph!'" She offered, punching him lightly on the shoulder. Her laugh quickly fell into a sad, scared chuckle, and she was too afraid to take her eyes off of him.

She was about to try another deflection when he kissed her.

Her eyes closed immediately. It was soft and hesitant, chaste and clumsy. It was perfect.

He pulled back quickly, face beet-red, adjusting his glasses. "Wren, I-I'm sorry, I mean, not..."

"It's ok," she breathed, dreamily. She couldn't stop smiling. At her words, he started smiling too, rubbing the back of his head.

"Um, that was my first--"

"M-mine, too."

"Could I... I mean, could WE... would you mind if--" She cut him off by kissing him again. This one was longer, more familiar, but no less sweet and innocent. No less perfect.

Riley held Maya from behind as they watched through their daughter's cracked door.

"Remind you of anybody?" She whispered.

"Maybe..." Maya conceded, smiling. "But we were making out way harder at their age."

"Thank heaven for small favors." She squeezed her short wife tight. "Can we give them another minute before we kill them?"

Maya sighed. "I suppose." 

She looked up at Riley, urgently.

"But we are going to kill them, right?"

"Oh," Riley smiled sweetly, "they are SO dead."

 

\-----

 

_6 months before the wedding:_

Maya and Riley definitely did not buy their house just because of the bay window. That would have been incredibly frivolous and irresponsible.

That said, that's absolutely why they bought it.

Wren was two when they realized that their tiny SoHo apartment wasn't going to contain their adventurous little monster for much longer. New Rochelle had the best schools, was (semi) affordable and was close enough that they could commute to their burgeoning therapy clinic (art and animal, respectively). There were houses that needed less work, houses that were more affordable...

But only one had a big bay window in the master bedroom.

Everything happened pretty naturally after that. When Wren was four they mentioned to Smackle over lunch that a house on their block was for sale. The sign was down by dinner time, with the moving vans following a week later. When Lucas was ready to open his own veterinary practice, he and Bonnie bought a house a few miles away and moved in right before their third daughter was born. Zay still lived in the city, a necessity in the life of a successful event planner, but he spent enough time in the 'burbs that he actually joined Wren's PTA. They raised their families together, keeping their promise to always be friends and loving every second of it.

Except this one, evidently.

Maya frowned and pouted in the bay window, shuffling uncomfortably. Riley stared at her, soft but unmoving.

"I'm fine," Maya repeated.

Riley said nothing.

"What, you think I have some problem with the wedding? Like I'm not happy our daughter is getting married?"

Riley said nothing.

"Well, I am! I'm thrilled! I'm giddy!"

Riley said nothing.

"I'm overjoyed that she's moving out to live with some... BOY and talk to HIM about everything she's feeling and go on silly adventures with HIM every weekend and eat ice cream for breakfast on April Fools Day with HIM for the rest of their lives and..."

She wasn't sure when she'd started crying. She only noticed when Riley pulled her close in her arms. She relented, resting her head on the taller woman's shoulder.

"She's _leaving_ us, Riles."

"Oh, Peaches..." Riley rubbed Maya's arm. "Yeah, she is."

Maya bolted up.

"What?! You're not supposed to say that!!"

"What am I supposed to say?"

"You're supposed to say, 'No, Peaches, she's not leaving! She'll always be our little girl and this marriage will never happen and she's gonna live in the basement for the next twenty years!'"

Riley giggled.

"But she is, Maya. She's leaving, and that's ok. That's what's supposed to happen." She put her arm on her wife's shoulder. "That's what we did."

Maya thought about how much her mother had cried when they moved into their first apartment together. She'd never understood why until now.

"We gave her a wonderful life, but now... now she's graduating college. She's going to be a teacher. She's going to be a wife. It's time for her to make her own life, and she's ready." She turned Maya to look at her. "Know how I know?"

Maya shook her head, tears splashing with every move. Riley smiled as she cried, too. 

"Because she had a mother to teach her how to take on the world."

Maya smiled wide, a little laugh escaping through the tears. She put her hand on Riley's face.

"And one who taught her to never stop believing in it."

Riley kissed her, long and deep.

"We're all amazing. Go us."

Maya laughed, remembering as she rested her head on Riley again. They sat there only a moment longer before there was a knock.

"Room for one more?" Wren asked as she peeked in.

Riley squeezed Maya and stood up, motioning for their daughter to take her place in the window. They met in the middle of the room. Riley took Wren's face in her hands, suddenly overcome.

"My little plum..." she managed.

Wren gasped back a happy sob. 

"Always call me that, ok?"

"Oh, don't worry," Riley said, "It stuck." She kissed her daughter and left as Wren sat next to Maya.

They sat in silence for a while until Wren put her arm around Maya, pulling her close to rest her head on her shoulder.

"You know your mom is my favorite person in the world." Wren smiled wide at that, nodding.

Maya sat up to look at her daughter.

"But you... honey, you ARE my world!"

Wren couldn't hold back the tears any more. Maya sighed, composing herself.

"And you're leaving."

Wren's eyes grew wide and she shook her head frantically.

"Ma, I'm not--!"

"Yes, you are. And your mom is right. It's ok. It's what's supposed to happen. Just... do me a favor?"

Wren nodded, unable to speak.

"Don't... don't leave all the way, ok? 'Cause... y'know, I still need somebody to laugh when my jokes get too mean."

Wren laughed hard, causing Maya to crack up too. They hugged tight.

"Ma... even if I'm leaving... I'll always be here. This will always be home." Maya's heart swelled. She knew she didn't mean the window.

They separated, and Maya looked long and hard at her daughter. She put her hand on her cheek.

"I am so proud of the woman you are."

Wren stared back, face full of love.

"Ditto."

They heard a loud squeak, bringing an even bigger smile to their faces.

"You can come back now, Mom!"

Riley burst in, crying harder than either of them, hugging them both tighter than ever as they laughed and laughed in the bay window.

 

\-----

 

_2 hours after the wedding:_

It was perfect.

Wren and Archie wrote their own vows, full of inside jokes and tear-jerking sincerity. Maya figured she'd be the worst crier, but she found herself holding Riley tight as she sobbed through the entire ceremony. Her only competition was Cory, who nearly had to be removed.

Wren Topanga Matthews-Hunter and Archimedes Smackle-Minkus took each other in sickness and health, kissed a little too long, then basked in the cheers of everyone they loved. 

The cheers were cut short by gasps when Wren tripped and face-planted on her first step back down the aisle. Maya was the first one to laugh, loud and unashamed, once she was sure she was ok. Wren was the second. 

Maya pointed to Riley; "That's YOUR daughter!"

And now they danced. The outdoor pavilion invited the warm breeze of a perfect summer evening as a giant mass of limbs cut loose on the dance floor, with the old gang right in the middle. Finally, Maya plopped down at their table, with Riley pulling on her arm.

"No napping, Peaches! Dancing!"

"Sitting! Drinking! Old!" Maya yelled over the DJ. "You go! I'll recharge and catch up!"

Riley smiled and kissed her wife before dancing back to the floor, tangoing with Lucas's youngest daughter, Suzy. Maya watched, laughing, as someone sat down beside her.

"How ya feelin'?" Topanga asked.

Maya found her daughter in the crowd, dancing wildly with her husband, laughing her face off.

"The ocean never ran dry, Mom." 

Topanga laughed, hugging Maya's shoulders.

"Never doubted it."

A slow song came on, everyone pairing up and rocking back and forth. Wren and Archie couldn't keep it together. Every time one of them said something the other nearly fell over laughing.

"I get it now, Topanga," Maya said. "I am so grateful that someone can make my girl that happy."

Her mother-in-law smiled, holding her close.

"You did good."

Suddenly a conga line, led by Riley, plowed through all of the waltzing couples.

Maya reached behind her to grab Topanga's arm.

"You too."

 

\-----

 

_6 hours after the wedding:_

Two proud mothers, dresses still on, makeup smeared, armpits drenched, sat in the bay window, heads resting on each other. Their natural state.

After the reception they sent the young people off to their hotel and headed back home, too exhausted to stand but too excited to sleep. They both wore relaxed smiles, feeling overwhelmed with love and contentment.

Maya opened her eyes when Riley giggled.

"What's so funny up there?"

Riley smiled wider.

"Do you remember our first kiss?"

Maya nuzzled closer to her wife.

"I'll never forget it. We were sitting in the bay window, the first bay window, and you were going to move to London."

Riley raised her head.

"Oh my god, I forgot all about London!"

Maya nodded. "Scariest moment of my life."

Riley grabbed her hand.

"Anyway, I was trying to tell you I was in love with you, but I was a mess..."

Riley beamed. "THAT part I remember."

"And then you did that thing I love with your fingers on my chin..."

Riley touched her fingertips to Maya's chin, eliciting a soft gasp and guiding her to face her.

"Yeah," Maya breathed weakly, stars in her eyes. "That's the one."

Riley kissed her, soft and sweet, smiling as she pulled away.

"I can still take your breath away after all this time?"

Maya nodded her head. 

"'Till the day I die, Matthews."

They leaned in again, passion and hunger in their eyes, when they heard a light chirping sound.

"Oh, come on!" Maya yelled at the interruption.

Riley picked up her phone, sliding it to answer.

"It's Wren!" An instant later her image was on the screen.

"Hey guys!" Her voice was a little warbley, and her dress a little disheveled, but she seemed as happy as when they'd left her.

"Why are you calling your parents on your wedding night?!" Maya demanded. "Don't you have a grandchild you should be making?"

Wren rolled her eyes. "It's only midnight! We're still partying at the hotel, you old ladies!"

The mothers laughed at their married, clearly drunk, daughter.

"I just ducked away, because... I dunno, I missed you guys. I love you!"

Riley pulled Maya close.

"We love you too, little plum! Now go have fun! We'll see you at brunch tomorrow!"

Wren pointed. "Your place, bright and early?"

Maya shook her head. "Noon. Ish."

Wren laughed and blew a kiss. Her mothers returned it as she hung up.

"Boy, where does she get that clinginess from?" Maya asked.

Riley's eyebrow reached new heights in staring at Maya. They burst out laughing an instant later, falling off of the window and into a beautiful, ridiculous pile on the floor.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts? Comments? Reviews? ALL ARE WELCOME!
> 
> Jeez, have I ever written a fic where everyone's NOT a weepy mess?
> 
> *checks other works*
> 
> NOPE HA HA! OH WELL!


End file.
